


Constellations

by Tiredlatenights



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Clementine is 16 but a senior, F/F, Mutual Pining, One-Legged Clementine (Walking Dead), Side Brophie, minor Ruby/Aasim
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2020-06-25 06:33:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19740196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiredlatenights/pseuds/Tiredlatenights
Summary: Clementine's troublemaking landed her in boarding school, where she met a girl with a rainbow button.





	1. Welcome to Hell

**Author's Note:**

> PSA that Clementine is 16 (so her canon age) but she skipped a grade so she's a senior

Clementine sat on the front steps of the porch, watching her parents load her luggage into the boot of her family's car. Hazy. That's what her mind was like, disbelief clouding her thoughts. The new school year had come way too soon, and now, she wasn't ready to say goodbye.

The sound of a pencil scratching on paper made her turn to her side where AJ, her little brother, sat. Oh, how she would miss the little guy -- his never-ending curiosity, his eyes full of wonder, his innocent, gap-toothed grin.

"Hey there bud, whatcha drawing?"

He stopped mid-sketch, and looked up at Clementine, a toothy smile forming.

"It's the five of us--Dad, Mom, Peanut, you and me."

Clementine inhaled sharply at the mention of her parents. She clenched her jaw, and shoved a hand into her pocket, clamping her fingers into the tender flesh of her palm. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed AJ observing her.

She breathed out through her flared nostrils and inspected his work. There they were--her family all drawn in different shades of purple. Her favorite color. She gave him a small smile. "Not bad, kiddo," Clementine said, nodding approvingly.

AJ beamed at her comment. "I wanted to give it to you before you left," he added, shifting his gaze downwards, "so you could put it up…in your room."

Clementine gave him a lackluster smile and ruffled his hair. "Thanks, goofball."

"Hey, I told you not to call me that," AJ said. He pushed her hand away and pouted. "I'm a big boy now."

Clementine chuckled and turned her attention back towards her mom--who was now slinking up the steps. She nodded towards the truck, telling her that it was time to go. Lifting herself off the stairs, she took a deep breath, and took in every inch of her childhood home. It would be a while before she could see it again, and she wanted to commit every nook and cranny to memory.

AJ came up to present her with his completed drawing. "Here," he said, holding out the picture, "It's done."

Clementine accepted it before thanking him. She beheld her little brother, trying her best to remember every single one of his features. "I'm gonna miss you so much," she said, wrapping him in her arms.

"Me too. Who's going to protect me from monsters now?"

Clementine broke away from their embrace and smiled. "Promise me you'll take care of Peanut? Don't forget to feed him every week. And remind Dad to clean his tank too."

"I won't," AJ said, before he paused. "Hey, Clem?"

"Yea?"

"Will you be okay? With your leg?"

Clementine looked down at her left ankle. A black curve of metal peeked out from the cuff of her jeans and disappeared underneath her lilac sock. She shrugged. The occasional phantom pains and nosy questions would be a problem but other than that she’d be fine. Sure, people sometimes stared, but they usually weren’t weird about it.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

"Hey hun, we're gonna be late." Her mom cleared her throat, and looked at her children with wistful eyes. "It's time to say goodbye."

Clementine kneeled in front of AJ, so they were face-to-face. Taking in a deep breath, she murmured, "I gotta go now. But I'll see you over winter break?" She hugged him tightly for one last time. "Be good okay? I'll see you soon."

AJ buried his face into her shoulder, nodding. "Goodbye Clem."

Clementine sighed and reluctantly pulling herself away from her little brother. She glanced at her mom, narrowing her eyes into crinkled slits, before marching past her towards the car. She got in and slammed the door shut, spitting a string of curses.

Slumping her shoulders, she heard the thump of the car door as her dad got into the driver’s seat.

They sat there for an uncomfortable minute as he opened and closed his mouth, trying to form anything to say. Eventually, he said, “I’m sorry, but this is for your own good.”

Clementine shook her head. "I get it. I’ll learn to live with your decision, somehow."

“We want what’s best for you. You know that right?”

She stiffened and turned away from him. “Just go.”

* * *

Clementine landed in West Virginia at 12:34 pm. She looked around, spotting a board with her name on it, written in--of course, the color clementine. “So original,” she muttered. She pushed her trolley filled with luggage towards the person holding said board. “Hey, is this the group for Ericson’s?”

The short haired person replied, “Clementine right? I’m Brody, I’m here to pick you up. The driver’s out front.”

Eyeing the board up close, Clementine realized that the words were written in glittery paint. She raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the auburn haired girl.

“Sorry, is it too much? I told Louis to tone down on the extra but that guy loves being loud, both literally and figuratively.”

“Uhhh, who's Louis?”

“Oh, he's a student at Ericson’s. I'll tell you more about him on the ride over.”

Nodding hesitantly, Clementine followed Brody out of the arrival hall to the taxi stand. The driver got up from leaning against a white coach and knocked on the backseat door. They hopped in, Brody helping Clementine with her luggage, and they were off, the purring engine of the vehicle kicking in gear.

In the city the highway was black and fresh, yellow paint as perfect as a child's picture book. Now that that towers and lingering suburbia were long behind them, those sunny stripes were aged with hairline cracks. The tires brought a monotony as they sailed over the stretch of weary grey. Clementine mindlessly watched the changing scenery pass in a hazy blur.

She chatted with Brody to pass the time--how she was from Georgia and her family comprised of her parents, her adoptive brother and her pet goldfish. Brody answered Clementine’s questions about Ericson’s--the daily schedule, the Welcome Week Fair and who this Louis person was.

“He’s our class clown, and the most annoying person you will ever meet, but he’s a nice guy.”

Eventually, they found themselves on a winding forest path. Clementine tilted her head upwards, taking in the pine trees that towered over them. The white gold light streaked through the boughs in shadowy beams, illuminating the greens into virescent riots. Here the sky vanished almost completely, only a few fragments of blue remain--like scattered pieces of an impossible jigsaw puzzle.

“So… Clem,” Brody said, snapping her out of her thoughts. “Wait, can I call you Clem?”

“Clem’s fine, what’s up?”

“You’re from Georgia right?”

“Mmhmm.”

Furrowing her eyebrows, Brody squirmed in her seat before asking, "Then why come all the way here? I mean… what… what happened?"

Clementine stiffened at the question. "I always gave someone I disliked a piece of my mind, and well, sometimes that would escalate into fights. I guess those fights happened pretty frequently, so here I am."

Brody shot her a gapped mouthed stare. "Damn, we got a fighter in our midst! Remind me not to get on your bad side."

Clementine chuckled, adding, "Don't worry, the people I beat up deserve it. As long as you're not an asshole, you're good."

Humming, Brody nodded and faced the window.

"So, what makes you a troubled youth?"

Brody crossed her arms over her chest. She inhaled a deep breath, and blew out slowly. "My parents' didn't wanna deal with my anxiety. It was too much for them I guess. So they sent me here. To 'fix me'."

Clementine pursed her lips and frowned once more.

"I'm sorry about that. That's… really fucked up." she said, before pausing and adding, "Yeah, I think if I met your parents I would've beaten them up. Uh, no offence?"

"None taken. They were… not… the best parents," Brody chuckled, offering Clementine a small smile. "Thanks for having my back, Clem. I mean, I know we've just met, but I think we're gonna be good friends."

Clementine beamed, saying, "Good to know I won't be alone on my first day then."

10 minutes later, Clementine noticed the coach slowing near a clearing, the soft crunch of gravel under its tires.

"Ah we're here," Brody said, looking out of the window.

Pulling up to the guardhouse, the car hummed as the officer leafed through a couple of documents. Nodding, she pressed a button opening the tall, iron gates that loomed over them. They rolled through the courtyard and the school towered over them - a block of dreary grey that blocked the bright afternoon sun.

"Well, allow me to make it formal. Welcome, to Ericson's Boarding School for Troubled Youth." Brody flickered her gaze between Clementine and the driver, muttering, "Or as I like to say, welcome to hell."

After a quick check-in, Brody gave Clementine a tour around the dormitory as they made their way to her room. Trailing behind her, Clementine pushed her luggage-filled cart down the dormitory corridor.

"Alright, let's see which dorm room you've been assigned to…" Brody squinted at the numbering on the page. "Oh, shit."

"What is it?"

Brody glanced back at Clementine, before dropping her gaze to the floor. "Uh, you've been assigned to a room that… hadn't been used, for quite a while now."

Clementine considered this. “Does this mean I don’t have a roommate?”

Checking the assignment slip, she shook her head in confirmation. She tilted her head backwards, letting out a weary sigh before swearing under her breath. They continued down the hallway, passing by a couple of dorm rooms along the way. Stares and hushed whispers from curious onlookers made her feel like a fish out of water.

She edged closer to Brody. "What's their problem?"

"Ahhh, don't mind them. You’re new. We haven't seen anything like you in a long time."

Clementine scrunched her nose. "Lacking troubled youth huh?"

“There used to be more people,” she answered. “Some of them graduated.” She paused, grimacing. “Some of them got transferred out… away from here.”

Brody stopped in front of a door near the end of the corridor, Clementine following suit. Opening it, Brody ushered Clementine into her room.

"Well, here we are. Your home away from home."

The floorboards creaked as Clementine stepped into the room, her eyes wandering around the small space. Barren bookshelves and desks sat at the end of bunk beds that were jammed to both sides of the room. Their grey bed sheets were dimly illuminated by the grimy window at the end of the central aisle. She wrinkled her nose in the stuffy room. “Quaint.”

Brody shrugged, checking her watch. “Ooh, I gotta get back to the fair.” She waved at Clementine, saying, “I’ll see you later, and do drop by; I’ll be at the Soccer Club.”

Waving back, Clementine watched Brody stride away, before cracking the window open. She took in a deep breath of fresh, forest air. “First order of business,” she declared, facing the wall. Carefully, she pulled AJ’s drawing out of her jacket pocket and stuck it above her study desk. She stepped back before admiring her work. She might not have a roommate, but at least she had AJ in spirit with her. Nodding in satisfaction, she lugged in her bags and proceeded with unpacking.

* * *

Clementine made a discovery. She didn’t know why it was still there and how the faculty residents never cleared it out, but she found a box in the closet. Once she got it down, she noticed how it was covered in faded stickers and dried splotches of paint. Opening the latch, she lifted the lid to reveal a jumble of art supplies sitting inside of it, dusty from neglect. Whoever lived here must’ve been an artist. She made a mental note to ask Brody about it, and kept it off to one side.

Checking her phone, she realized that it was 3:15 pm. As if on cue, a deep growl rumbled from her stomach. Yeah, now would be a good time to visit that fair.

Once outside, Clementine found herself in the middle of a cacophony of booths. It was a scorching hot summer afternoon, and the sky was dotted with a few candy-floss clouds. She got herself a snow cone and wandered from booth to booth, trying to find Brody. Soccer was the only club she wanted to join anyway.

She eventually found herself at the end of the line, noticing various binders laid out on a table. Artworks sat in each binder, and Clementine flipped through one. There were sketches of Ericson's from various viewpoints, drawings of the night sky, and paintings of constellations. Her eyes ran over each one--wow they were pretty, and she wondered who drew these artworks.

"Hey, can I help you?"

She turned up to find herself staring into chips of emerald ice. The girl had pale blonde hair that was cut into a short bob, and wore a sleeveless denim hoodie that had a rainbow button pinned to it. She regarded her with an expressionless face, and Clementine felt her skin tingle under her unrelenting stare. “Hey. Uh, I’m just looking around.”

The girl gave her an indifferent shrug. “Sure.”

Browsing through the drawings, Clementine asked, "Are these drawings here your works?"

"You were looking through the ones that are mine," she said, slouching in her seat.

"Wow, they look nice."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I would definitely buy these if they were on sale."

The girl smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "Um, thanks."

Clementine’s mind blanked and she shifted her gaze downwards, unable to meet the girl’s eyes. She was kinda cute. She racked her brain for a reply but to no avail, and before she combusted in awkward gay panic, she caught sight of the club’s flyers on the table. “ASAP?”

“Oh,” the girl said, perking up, “uh, After School Art Program. Basically you get to make whatever you want and have your own projects and shit. We’re located at the Visual Arts Center.”

Clementine gave her a sheepish smile. “That sounds pretty nice, but I’m not much of an artist.”

“It’s fine, you can draw anything and call it abstract.”

Clementine chuckled, but a sudden raucous shout from across the lawn got her attention. Both girls snapped their heads towards the noise that now escalated into a chant, and Clementine squinted at the booth. “Is that person climbing up onto the table?”

‘Single Ladies’ started playing faintly from a speaker, and said person began dancing. Clementine leered at them and smirked in disbelief. She didn’t know what to admire more - their dauntlessness or the fact that they were nailing the choreography.

The girl froze and stared wide-eyed at them. “Holy shit… He really did it.”

Clementine turned to look at her with a raised brow. “Who?”

She nodded towards him, twisting her mouth into a lopsided smile. Clementine felt heat rise to her cheeks. “That’s Louis. His friend made a bet with him to dance to Beyonce in front of everyone. Loser has to do the winner’s share of clean up duty for a whole month.”

Clementine widened her eyes and snapped her head back to his booth. Oh. So that’s Louis.

The girl refocused her attention back to him, and pulled out her phone. “Too bad we don’t have any popcorn,” she mused, pressing record, “this is quite the show.”

Clementine chuckled, before she turned back to him. Yeah, Brody gave her an accurate introduction. Speaking of Brody, she spotted her face-palming in the distance as she watched Louis launch himself into the second verse. “As much as I’d love to stay and watch, I kinda promised a friend that I’d go visit her booth.” The girl paused her video recording to look up at her. “But it was nice meeting you… um.”

A few conflicted looks flashed across her face before she simply said, “Violet.”

Violet, huh. Red tinted Clementine’s cheeks. What a pretty name. “I’m Clementine.”

She nodded. “See you around then,” she said, before she went back to filming.

“See you around.”

Clementine trekked across the lawn, and found Brody still staring at Louis with raised eyebrows. A girl with ginger hair next to her was shaking her head, brows bumped together in a scowl. “Hey Brody, how’s everything?”

She blinked owlishly at her before her eyes widened in realization. “Hey Clementine, you made it!” She smiled brightly, before she glanced back at him. “Remember that guy I told you about?”

“Yeah, Louis. That’s him right?”

Brody chuckled and turned back to him. “He sure is a lot, huh?”

Clementine pursed her lips. “He knows how to make a lasting first impression.”

The girl tut-tutted. “One of these days, that guy’s gonna break his neck over his tomfoolery.”

Clearing her throat, Brody gestured to the red-haired girl. “Clementine, this is Ruby. Ruby, Clementine.”

Ruby nodded at Clementine. “Nice to meet ya.”

“Likewise.”

“Louis aside,” Brody said, leaning forward in her seat, “have you found a club you wanna join?”

“Yep, this one.”

Brody nodded thoughtfully, before she did a double take. Ruby snickered. “You didn’t even have to convince her.”

Clementine shrugged. “I used to play when I was younger.”

Brody broke out into a bright smile, and were her eyes sparkling? She thrust a flyer into her hands. “I prepared a whole sales pitch and everything, but never mind, tryouts will be held next Tuesday.”

As she folded the flyer and slid it into her pocket, she remembered the grey box that sat on her desk. “Actually, I also wanted to ask you about something.”

“What is it?”

“I found this box in my closet. It was covered in stickers. Had color pencils and stuff inside. Do you know anything about it?”

Brody’s eyes widened before she bowed her head, exchanging troubled looks with Ruby. “Um… That belonged to the girl who last stayed there. Just keep it there for now. I’ll get someone to collect it.”

Clementine furrowed her brow. She could tell that the both of them, Brody especially, knew more than they led on, but she felt that she shouldn’t pry. Nodding, she said, “Cool. I guess I’ll see you at dinner?”

Brody crossed her arms and shrugged. “Yeah, see you.”

With time to kill and a lack of plans to boot, Clementine decided to continue unpacking and decorating her room. Hours later, she made her way down to the cafeteria and spotted Brody with a couple of other people at a table. She queued up, getting a bowl of stew and a juice box before joining her.

“Look who decided to join us!” Louis grinned, bowing in his seat. “The new kid graces us with her presence.”

Clementine’s eyebrow quirked. “Louis right? That was some spot on dancing back there.”

“I’m glad you liked it,” he said, side-eyeing Brody. “Unlike some people, you can appreciate real talent.”

She snorted and rolled her eyes. “I’m so glad I didn’t bring you to the airport with me.”

“Hey, my rendition of ‘Oh, My Darling Clementine’ would’ve added more pizzazz to your welcome.”

“Trust me, no one needs to hear your off-key singing,” she quipped, casting a glance at Clementine. “You spared her hearing.”

Louis feigned hurt and held a hand to his chest.

Clementine laughed, and they continued their banter as they ate. Upon finishing up, Brody bid them farewell as she left for her dorm room, wanting to get in some revision before the school year started. Louis turned to Clementine, a smile creeping up his face. “We’re gonna hang out at the Student Center, wanna come with?”

Clementine considered his offer for a brief moment, before replying, “Sure, but who’s ‘we’?”

To this Louis smiled, before turning back and calling someone from across the cafeteria. “Violet! It’s time!”

Clementine followed his line of sight to see her slouched over her meal. Upon hearing him, she looked up from her plate of chicken nuggets, and met Clementine’s eyes. Shock registered on her face when she spotted Louis standing with her, and a small smile played on Clementine’s lips.

She caught up to them and smiled at Clementine. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

“I see you’ve met Louis,” she said, her glance flickering to him.

He looked back and forth between them. “You two have met?”

“Yeah, at the fair, right before you let out your inner single lady,” Clementine sniggered.

Violet snorted, before she looked around, realizing someone was missing from their game night. “Where’s Marlon?”

“He can’t make it tonight. He has a prefect thing.”

Nodding, Violet smirked at Louis. “Congratulations, by the way. I didn’t think you’d have the balls to take him up on his bet.”

He shook his head disappointedly. “Oh ye of little faith. Don’t you know that I never say no to providing some entertainment?”

Violet rolled her eyes, before she turned her attention back to Clementine. “You coming with?” she asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Clementine nodded, and the three of them made their way over to the Student Center.

A short while later, the three of them strode into a lounge room that had beige walls and a wooden floor. The furniture was traditional and sprinkled liberally with vibrant cushions. Chatter filled the room as students sat on sofas or gathered around tables. The three of them found a table in the back and plopped themselves down at it.

“Alright people,” Louis said, pulling out a deck of cards from his inner coat pocket. “Time for something… very important.”

Violet leaned in and levelled an anticipatory gaze at him. “What’s the game tonight, Lou?”

“War.” Louis grinned playfully as he began to shuffle the cards. “The oldest game around. A game played by man and beast alike. The only game there is.”

Clementine gave him a shrug. “Sounds like fun, but I’ve never played it.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll pick it up as we go,” Louis said.

“It’s easy.” Violet turned towards her, propping up an elbow on her knee. “Everyone gets a stack of cards, everyone flips one over. Highest card wins.”

Louis smirked at Clementine with a mischievous glint in his eye. “And the winner gets to ask Clem a question.”

Clementine looked at him with her eyebrows furrowed questioningly.

“What? I want to get to know you. We both do.” Louis gestured towards the other girl at the table, her head nodding.

“And what if I win?” Clementine shot back.

Louis deftly split the deck, planting a stack of cards in front of each player. “Then you get to ask us one, it’s only fair.”

Clementine puckered her forehead. Her being outnumbered aside, she could use something to ease her start-of-school jitters. She just hoped their questions wouldn’t be weird or too invasive.

Louis flipped over the first card, and the rest followed suit. After a brief moment of scanning the cards, one person broke out in a triumphant smile.

"Way to go me," Violet sang. She observed Clementine for a few seconds, frowning a little. "So, about your transfer…" She peered at Clementine through her bangs. "Why did you get sent here? You're new, so." She shifted in her seat. "What happened there?"

Clementine looked down at her deck and crossed her arms on the table, before she repeated what she told Brody during the ride over.

"Shit," Violet gave her a small smile. "You’re not half bad, considering that you don’t look like a fighter and all."

Clementine felt heat rise to her cheeks. “Thanks.”

Flipping her card open a second time, she checked it and smiled. "Hey, I win."

"Hey, you do," Louis replied. "So, what do you wanna know?"

She tilted her head to the side. “Okay, uh, who’s Marlon?”

"Oh, I forgot to tell you--he’s our Head Prefect _and_ captain of the football team.” Louis grinned, before he added, “He also has this pretty weird mullet, but hey, I’m his best friend so I can legally say that.”

Clementine smiled in amusement. “A mullet?”

"It looks like a dead cat," Violet quipped, throwing Clementine a smirk, "probably smells like one too."

Clementine smiled back, admiring how the corners of Violet’s eyes crinkled when she smiled. She turned her head to the side to avert her gaze, but the sudden rosiness of her cheeks gave her away.

Louis squinted at Clementine in a furtive manner, before his eyes darted to Violet, and shifted back again. There was a moment where his face washed blank with confusion, like he couldn’t take in the information from his wide eyes. Every muscle of his body froze before a grin crept onto his face, stretching from one side to the other to show every single tooth.

Flipping over the next card, a quick check around the table showed that he won. "Booyah," he cheered, bouncing in his seat. One apprehensive look from Clementine made him break out into a devilish grin, and he flickered his gaze to Violet.

Uh oh. What was he thinking? 

“C’mon, spit it out,” Violet said, tapping her fingers against the tabletop.

Clementine knitted her eyebrows together. _Please don’t be a weird question, please don’t be a weird question…_

"So… Clem.” He eyed Violet and arched a sly brow. “Ever have a boyfriend?" Louis perched his chin on the top rail of the chair.

Clementine froze. Uh. What?

"Oh my God," Violet groaned, rubbing her temple.

"What?" Louis snapped. "It happens, perfectly valid question."

Clementine looked down and pursed her lips, before she stole a glance at Violet, who was looking straight at her. Their eyes locked, and Clementine’s skin tingled. Inhaling a sharp breath, she said, "Nope, never."

Violet perked up at her answer and sat up straighter. Glancing sideways at her, Louis leaned in and asked, "Not even once?"

Clementine narrowed her eyes at him. "Never."

Violet stared at her wide-eyed in disbelief, before she looked off to the side and nodded thoughtfully. Clementine felt her face grow hot. She wanted the earth to open up, and swallow her whole right there and then.

Turning her focus to the next card, she raised her chin. "I win again.”

"You do indeed, ask away," Louis said.

Clementine rubbed the back of her neck, trying to think of the next question. Louis' question frazzled her, and she felt relieved that they were moving on. She rubbed her sweaty palms on her jeans, before she exhaled a long breath. "You guys meet anyone famous before?"

"Javier Garcia." Louis' eyes lit up in admiration.

"I've heard of him." Clementine nodded thoughtfully. "Baseball player, pretty famous right?"

"Dude's a fuckin' legend. In fact, he coaches the school's baseball team," Louis explained.

Clementine raised her eyebrows. "Wow, we have a celebrity down here?"

Louis grinned, to which Violet rolled her eyes. "Baseball sucks."

"You suck."

"Not as much as baseball.”

Louis narrowed his eyes at her. Giving a half shrug, she flipped over the Queen of Hearts, looking at the other cards with a smug smile.

"Victory Violet," she drawled. Gesturing at the three of them, she asked, "Here's something I love to ask when I'm in groups." A smile dangled on the corner of her lips. "Out of the three of us, who do you think's gonna die first in a zombie apocalypse?"

Louis shot her a look of disgust. "That is fucked up."

She chuckled. "Oh, I know."

The two of them turned to look at Clementine, awaiting her response. This one was easy.

"Louis, definitely."

Violet smirked. "Definitely.”

Scrunching his nose, Louis nodded. "Definitely."

Clementine flinched, raising a concerned eyebrow at him.

"What? I'd have said the same."

They continued the game steadily into the evening. The three of them threw out questions and learnt more about one another - Louis played the piano, Violet claimed to have eaten horse eyeballs (gross) and Clementine revealed that she almost crashed during her driver’s test and thus did not have a license.

Louis shook with laughter, while Violet broke out into a smile that was part-amused, part-alarmed. “Remind me to never get into a car if you’re driving.”

Half an hour dragged by, and they soon amassed a messy heap of cards on the table.

Louis won again, and smiled. "I am the greatest card player of all time-"

"Just ask your damn question," Violet snapped.

He thumbed a corner of his card, looking away from Clementine. “What… actually, nevermind."

"What? Ask it," she said.

"It's not a fun question.”

"Ask."

He paused, grimaced and crossed his arms. “What happened to your leg?”

Clementine froze, her eyes widened and brows raised before she looked away, frowning. This was something she’d prefer to not recall.

Violet gave him a look of warning. "Louis."

"Hey, she wanted me to ask," he said, shrugging defensively.

Silence stretched out as Clementine thought out her answer. “Well…” she began, scrunching up her nose, “I got into a motorbike accident when I was nine. I got sent to the hospital, but it wasn’t treated properly so it got infected. They had to amputate it.”

Violet looked at her, concern in her eyes, before she cast a furtive glance at Louis. His eyes sloped downwards, and he shrank in his seat. “Oh. Got it.”

She pursed her lips, and set her mouth in a grim line. "I think I'm done playing for tonight," Clementine mumbled, getting up from her seat.

"Yeah," Violet said, watching her, "that's probably for the best." She shot Louis an annoyed look.

He frowned back at her. "You wanted me to ask."

As Clementine barged ahead, she wished she hadn’t pushed him to ask what he did. It felt like he only saw her as ‘The Girl with One Leg’. She cursed herself for not wearing her boots - now every time Violet and Louis saw her leg, they would be reminded of tonight, and feel super uncomfortable, which would make her super uncomfortable, and she’d get all the patronizing words and shoulder pats, and _ugghhhh._ Shaking her thoughts off, she clapped her hands together, and urged herself to focus on getting ready for bed. After all, future nosy questions about her prosthesis would be a problem for future her. Unfortunately.

After a nice, long shower, Clementine changed into her PJs and entered her room, going straight for her backpack. Soccer tryouts were in a week, and she wanted to get in as much practice as possible before then. Hopefully, the field was available for use tomorrow.

She was placing a box of granola bars into her backpack when the door creaked open. Clementine snapped her head up and saw Violet peer around the room before she looked down. She started at the sight of Clementine.

Remembering their game of ‘War’, Clementine darted her eyes downward and shifted her bag in front of her leg. Heat radiated from her face like a hot pan, and she reckoned someone could cook a three course meal on it.

"Oh, shit, I-I didn't know you were set up in this room.” She pointed at the closet. “I just wanted to grab something, is it okay if I come in?”

Clementine’s body numbed as she also became painfully conscious of her PJs while Violet was still in her regular clothes. Of _course_ she’d catch her at the worst possible time. She watched as Violet’s gaze cruised her toned arms, exposed by her tank top and pink dusted the blonde’s fair cheeks.

Goosebumps trailed down Clementine’s skin. Rubbing her arm, she felt her hairs stand on end. “Uh, sure.”

“Thanks.” She paced towards the front of the open closet and scanned the inside. “Where the hell is it?” she muttered under her breath. Midway through her search, she glanced over her shoulder and hesitated, before she said, “I’m sorry about the shit Louis pulled back there. He’s just the world’s biggest dumbass.” She turned to face Clementine. “If it helps, I think it looks pretty cool.”

Clementine smiled and could feel the heat growing in her cheeks. She hesitantly set her bag to the side, letting her whole prosthesis show. “Thanks.”

Violet shrugged, and her eyes landed on the sticker-covered box from earlier. “Oh.”

“What?”

“That’s what I was looking for.” She took a step forward, eyes trained on the box. “It belonged to Sophie.”

Sophie? Clementine tilted her head to the side. If this was her room, she must’ve been the girl Brody mentioned in the afternoon.

Violet glanced upwards at her and noticed her confusion. “Uh… the previous owner of this room.” She crossed her arms, taking another step towards Clementine. “The people in my art program needed more supplies and stuff, so I was going to…”

Yikes, this _was_ her room. And she was occupying it. “Oh! Sorry, I didn’t know…”

Violet shook her head with a wistful smile. “No, no, it’s fine, don’t worry about it.” She waved off her apology. “Honestly, it's just been sitting here for the past year and no one’s touched it.”

She shuffled towards the door. “If you want to use it, it’s… it’s fine.”

Clementine felt her cheeks flushed hot. “It’s not that,” she said as she shook her head, “my friend, Brody, told me that she’d send someone to collect it.”

Violet smiled, walking back towards the desk. “Considering that I am that someone, you needn’t worry.” She looked over at the dresser, eyeing her battered cap and mini refrigerator. Letting out a small smile, she said, “Huh! I see you’re um… settling in.”

Clementine shifted her weight from foot to foot. “Yeah, sorry, this was your friend’s room right?”

Violet gave her a half shrug. “It’s whatever, I guess.” She walked over to the unoccupied bunk bed, her eyes wandering around the space. “I always liked this room. Sophie had, like, paintings and shit on the walls, lots of colour.” Dropping her gaze to the floor, she smiled, adding, “And Minerva, her twin… she was really musical.”

This time, Clementine puckered her forehead. She didn’t remember hearing that name before…

“Not like Louis, though… she had actual talent.”

Clementine chuckled, crossing her arms.

Violet looked up at her, before leaning back on the bed frame. “She had the most amazing voice, real bluesy.”

Clementine’s stomach tumbled unhelpfully at the trace of raspiness in her voice.

“Marlon always joked that he would become her guitarist and they would tour the country.”

They gazed at each other, with gentle smiles on their faces. Moonlight spilled into the room, illuminating Violet’s face. Her fair skin glowed underneath the milky white light, and it illuminated her pale blonde hair. She looked ethereal, and all Clementine could do was stare.

Then the corner of her lips turned downwards, and she drooped her head. Dark shadows were cast by her angular features, and a troubled frown returned on her face.

“That was a long time ago,” she murmured. “After they… afterwards, Brody took down all the paintings. And that was the end of it.” She crossed her arms, hands gripping her arms. “I shouldn’t have even brought it up,” she said, tensing up her shoulders. “It’s not a good memory.” Shrugging, she shook her head, and added, “Guess I just lost my train of thought.”

Clementine offered a small smile, saying, “Well, they sound like they were great friends.”

Unfurling her arms, Violet said, “Yeah, Sophie was a good friend.” She turned to her side, her bangs falling over her eyes. “And Minnie… uh… Minerva…"she began, grasping the ladder rung, “we were close. Me and her.”

Clementine nodded, letting that statement sit. Wait… She widened her eyes, before looking at her rainbow pin. Ohhhhhh. Clementine kept her face expressionless, but inside, she was beaming with satisfaction. Her bi-fi was working after all.

Walking over to her bed, she sat on the mattress, before asking, “What exactly happened to them? Sophie and Minerva?”

Violet sucked in a breath. “Their parents were moving so they followed them to Canada. Last time we spoke, it was a year ago, before they left.” She leveled an icy look at Clementine. “It happens.”

Clementine pursed her lips, watching Violet sit on the bed across from her and sag against the ladder. She wanted to say something, but as she watched her sunken eyes stare off into the distance, words left her. So they sat there, silence hanging in the air like a suspended moment.

“Honestly,” Violet began, “I just miss having someone around to talk to. There’s just… so many dudes… in my friend group anyway.” She shrugged. “This place can get a little too Bro-town for my liking sometimes.”

“And I’m not exactly like… a people person. You know?” she continued. “I know I sometimes have a habit… have a habit of being a little too harsh.”

“You came off all right.” Clementine offered her a gentle smile. “I thought you were pretty cool.”

Violet paused, and looked up at Clementine with widened eyes. She looked away, her cheeks kissed pink. “Oh. Um, thanks. I guess. You were pretty cool, too.”

Their eyes met, and they both smiled once more. A chime from outside caught their attention, and they both looked out the window at the bell tower. “Time for Lights Out,” Violet muttered.

She got up and said, “I should be getting back.” She walked over to her desk, Clementine trailing behind her. Lifting the art supply set off the table, she added, “Thanks again for the box.” Clementine nodded, and watched as Violet plodded towards the door.

“See ya,” she said, as she swung the door open.

A small smile formed on Clementine’s face. “Yeah, see ya.”

Clementine watched as Violet shut the door, before expelling her breath in a whoosh. She stood there for another moment, her forehead puckered in contemplation. That’s strange. The chime of the 11 pm bell ended a few minutes ago, yet there was still a heavy boom that resonated in her chest.


	2. I've been thinkin'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clementine had soccer tryouts and uncovered history between Violet and Brody

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's not as long so sorry in advance...

It was three-thirty in the afternoon and it was hotter than Hades. Wiping a bead of sweat off her brow, Clementine cursed the sun for being such a merciless asshole. She focused her attention back to Ruby, and darted to her left as she kicked the ball. It made contact with her leg, and she booked it to the end of the field, dribbling past defenders from the other team. Training her eye on a spot in the net, she took a deep breath, letting muscle memory take over. The ball soared through the air, heading towards the goalie, before it made a sharp curve and sunk into the net.

Cheers and cries of joy erupted from across the field. Brody came running up to Clementine, grinning proudly. Clementine hunched over to catch her breath, before she broke out into a wide grin of her own. She still had it.

Brody clapped her shoulder as she blurted out "holy shit"s and "hot damn"s.

At the same time, Ruby strolled over, beaming. “Well, well… Looks like our darlin' Clementine here is also a fine soccer player."

"I do alright," Clementine said, smiling gleefully.

"Alright? Clem, you crushed it!" Brody ran her fingers through her hair, eyes wide in disbelief. "You've got to be on the team. Having this much skill and not joining is disrespectful."

"Downright disrespectful," the coach agreed, walking over.

"Coach! Have you _seen_ what kind of level Clementine is on?"

The coach turned to her, and nodded in approval. "Oh I've been watching from the side, I know all about," he checked his clipboard, "Clementine. The new transfer right?"

Clementine raised an eyebrow at him. Even the teachers heard about her.

He continued, "Clementine, your footwork is incredible. You know, with your lightning reflexes and tight form, we could use you on the team."

Clementine dropped her jaw. Holy shit, no way. "What are you saying Coach," she scanned his lanyard, "... Lee?"

"I'm saying, I'll see you at practice this Thursday."

* * *

Clementine hummed contently to herself as she kept her school clothes in her locker and shut the door. She was thinking back on Tuesday afternoon—she could still feel the buzz of adrenaline coursing through her, right as she landed that goal. It'd been a long time since she played soccer, and she was pumped to get back in the game.

Stepping out onto the soccer field, she noticed her P.E. teacher motioning her over. She jogged over to him.

“Clementine! Perfect timing, Violet and Brody are heading to the storage room to collect soccer balls for lesson.” A pleading expression crossed his face. “Lord knows those two won’t be able to get along, so it’d be great if you could go with them to speed things up. And uh, keep the peace.”

Clementine furrowed her brow. She didn’t know that Violet and Brody had ongoing beef between them. She nodded, and he passed her the key to the storage room. “Just remember to make it quick. We need those soccer balls to start the lesson.”

Clementine nodded, and joined them at the entrance of the field. The three of them disembarked not long after.

"You know, I've been thinkin’," Brody said, as they strolled towards the gym storage room, "I wish we could all go on a road trip together."

Violet scrunched her nose. "Road trip? Why bother? It's not like we'll have the money after graduation."

"Oh, c’mon, I’m sure there’s plenty of ways we could pool our resources. Maybe Clem could drive us around." She looked to Clementine, smiling hopefully. “I mean, you know how to drive right?”

Violet snorted, and Clementine smiled apologetically. “I almost crashed during my driver’s test so, no.”

Violet glanced over, her eyes crinkled in amusement, before she shot a smug smile in Brody’s direction. “See? Barely.”

“C’mon Vi!” Brody turned to the front. “I’ve never driven in my life, but I’d love to learn. Maybe not from Clem,” she said, giving Clementine an apologetic look. “No offense. But still.”

Clementine pictured it for a second—miles of endless road stretching ahead of them as they blasted summer hits on the radio. They'd feel the wind in the air and the buzz of adventure on their skin. "That sounds kind of nice, I love the open road.” She gave Brody a little smile. “I wouldn’t mind showing you around.”

“Just as long as you’re not the one driving,” Violet said.

They ambled along the main pathway, under the shade of the trees that lined either side of the sidewalk. The leaves rustled harmoniously in the slight breeze, vivid splotches of green dancing back and forth in the unrelenting afternoon sun. Clementine sneaked a peek at Violet. Her hair shimmered in the dappled sunlight, and every time she took a step forward, her pin glinted. Lowering her gaze to Violet’s hands, she imagined them brushing against her own as they walked down the pathway. What would they feel like? Would they be soft and smooth? Or would they be rough and calloused like her own?

Her eyes darted away, and dammit her face was burning up again. She focused on her trainers, trampling the brown remnants of branches and leaves that have fallen in the recent high winds. Hopefully, she could stamp out these sappy thoughts of her’s as well.

“I wish y'all could've driven your cars to the school compounds. You could just jump in and start driving.” Brody said with a wistful smile.

“We’d run out of gas eventually,” Violet rebutted, as they climbed up the slope at the main entrance.

Brody scrunched her nose, before she turned back to Violet at the top of the ramp and shrugged. “But still! It’s fun to imagine, isn't it?”

Violet rolled her eyes skyward and heaved a sigh, before she paced past Brody through the doors.

“Where would you go Clem?” Brody levelled an inquisitive gaze at her. “If you could drive anywhere you wanted? If gas wasn’t an issue.”

“Or a busted carburetor, or flat tires, or the transmission-”

“Buzzkill.”

This she knew without a shadow of a doubt. “I’d drive down to the coastline.” She envisioned crashing waves and the warm, grains of sand between her toes. “Maybe park on the beach and go swimming.”

“That’d be an absolute dream,” Brody agreed, closing her eyes in imagination. “You could spend everyday in the sun…”

“And die of skin cancer. Fun,” Violet sarcastically remarked.

“We’re all gonna die. Besides, you could always put on some sunscreen,” Brody shot back.

Taking in the hallways, she continued, “I’ve lived here my entire life. The town, the school. Heck, I’d say I know every inch of these places.” Her smile dipped, and she wrinkled her eyebrows together. “I’d kind of like to un-know them.”

“No use dreaming of what could be,” Violet said, stopping in front of the storage room before placing a hand on her hip. “We’ve got shit to do.”

“Yeah,” Brody said, drooping her head, “I guess we should get to work.” Brody turned on her heel, and stalked towards the door. “We got the soccer balls in the storage room. C’mon.”

“You go ahead,” Violet said, facing away from the two of them, “I’ll stay out here.”

Clementine glanced at Violet, knitting her brows in a frown as she followed Brody. She wondered what happened between the two of them that made her so mean towards Brody?

Clementine unlocked and pushed open the heavy swing door, entering a dark, musty room with a cement floor. The overhead fluorescent light produced a monotonous buzz as it flickered to life. A cluttered mess of boxes were strewn about, along with a couple of metal cages that were pushed to the sides. Each one contained different sports balls, some being as deflated as the life in the room.

“Where are those soccer balls?” Brody muttered, as she crouched down to search through a box. After a brief moment of inspection, she tilted her head towards Clementine.

“Hey… about Vi…” She stood up and crossed her arms, glancing over at Clementine. “I’m sorry she’s being a little mean, it’s my fault.”

“What do you mean?”

“Minnie got mixed up with some bad company,” she blurted, wrinkling her forehead in guilt, “and she changed. These people changed her. At first I didn’t think they were so bad. I trusted them. But as time passed, they began manipulating her to do some shady shit for them. It got to a point where she got caught.”

She looked Clementine in the eye. “The day she told us she and Sophie were moving? That was the same day she revealed that she got expelled for the stuff those guys got her to do—arson and the destruction of school property to name a few.”

She dropped her gaze and said, “I think Vi blames me for what happened to her. I mean, how do you even apologize for letting things get this out of hand?” She shrugged, hunched over and crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t know, maybe I deserve it.”

Clementine furrowed her eyebrows in sympathy. So this was what happened. This was what made Violet so… cold, towards Brody.

“You should talk to her about it.” She stepped towards Brody. “I’m sure she’ll listen.”

“Yeah, right,” she scoffed. “I tried, I have. It just never seems like the right time.”

She leaned against a cage with her head hung low. “We all used to be friends. Guess I just kinda miss that.” Forehead puckered, she looked up at Clementine. “But when you showed up… I don’t know, I just haven't seen her warm up to someone in a long time.”

A bug-eyed expression flashed across Clementine’s face before she dropped her gaze to the floor. She couldn’t believe that she was the only person Violet opened up to. Ever since Minerva anyway. A surge of pride welled up in her, and she had to stop herself from smiling like an idiot.

Tucking that piece of information in the back of her mind, Clementine turned to the side and found the balls in a cage off to the side. Brody followed her line of sight, and shook her head, realizing that she got a little distracted by her musings.

Before she was about to wheel them back to class, she stopped in front of them. Her back facing Clementine, she began, “Do you… I mean, I’d hate to ask this of you.” She turned, hope shining in her eyes. “But do you think you could talk to her? See how she feels? About me? It’s just been eating me up inside.”

Clementine regarded Brody—her wrinkled forehead, down turned eyes and set shoulders. She gave her a small smile. “Sure thing, Brody. I can talk to her.”

Brody’s eyes widened, and she stood up straight with a bright smile. “Really? That’s great! Thanks, Clementine.”

Grasping onto the cage handle, she said, “I’m gonna go take these back to class.”

Both of them turned towards Violet’s muffled voice that came through the closed door. “Hey! What the hell is taking you two so long?”

Glancing over her shoulder, Brody knitted her brows in a frown as she nodded towards the door. “See?”

Point taken. It seemed like Clementine had her work cut out for her. She gave Brody another sympathetic look, hoping that she’d be able to somehow ease the tension between the two.

“I’ll take these to Vi.” Brody turned towards the door, javelins under one arm. “There should be some extras lying around.”

The door creaked behind her as Brody left, before it clicked shut.

Clementine got to work, and wandered deeper into the dusty room. As she took care to avoid tripping over boxes of sports equipment, graffiti on the back wall caught her attention. She got closer, and found a drawing of an arrow-pierced heart doodled in marker. Two letters were scrawled in the heart. “V plus M?”

Violet and Minerva?

Clementine narrowed her eyes at the drawing. Violet must’ve drawn this when she was Minerva’s girlfriend. She pursed her lips, and felt a growing tightness in her chest. She couldn’t help but wonder how Minerva looked like, or what she was like. Was she pretty? A sweetheart?

Clementine shook her head. It didn’t matter, that was a long time ago. Sighing wearily, she pushed all petty thoughts into the back of her mind. She’d deal with those later.

She eventually found the rest of the soccer balls tucked away in a corner of the room. Before she left, she took one last look at the graffiti. She wondered if Violet remembered her graffiti. Clementine twisted the door handle. She hoped not.

After she rejoined her classmates in the soccer field, Clementine spotted Violet lining up a shot in front of a net. With fiery determination in her eyes, she ran up to the soccer ball and kicked it. She watched with bated breath as the ball soared through the air, accelerating towards the net. It went up, and up, and up…

And hit the top of the metal frame with a loud _clang_. It bounced off, missing Violet as she dodged in the nick of time to strike Marlon in the… you know. The people around him collectively winced as he doubled over, huffing in pain. Violet froze, and stared at Marlon with wide eyes. She cursed under her breath, and awkwardly hovered over him as she muttered apologies and offerings of help. Louis’ uproarious laughter echoed from the other end of the gym, before Brody elbowed him in the ribs to shut up.

Clementine stifled a laugh despite herself. Sure, she felt bad that Marlon got a ball to the… balls, but seeing Violet suck at soccer and fumbling to help Marlon made her crack a smile. It was endearing, in a way.

After the pain subsided, Marlon waved off Violet’s apologies and stalked off to the other side of the field. Clementine approached Violet who shuffled back to the end of the line, tail between her legs.

“Can I join you?”

Violet glanced back at her, before she shrugged. “Sure.”

She nodded towards the goalpost, explaining, “We were practising some goalscoring.”

“I wanna try.”

“Take a ball. Go nuts.”

Clementine smirked. “But don’t actually hit anyone in the nuts right?”

“Fuck off,” Violet groaned, the corners of her lips fighting a smile.

They eventually reached the front of the line, and Clementine set a ball in front of her. She stood almost perfectly upright, and raised her head for a good look at the goal. She held out her right arm for balance, flung her left arm out for power, and the inside of her right foot struck the ball just off center. It swerved towards the goal, and slammed into the net.

Violet gaped at her. “Holy shit…”

Clementine smiled, and felt warmth settle in her chest. She dribbled the ball to the back of the line, putting a safe distance between her and Violet’s destructive soccer-playing.

Violet rejoined her shortly after, her blonde hair bouncing as she jogged over. She rest her foot on top of the ball, and glanced at Clementine. “Hey, um, sorry if I was weird last night… about the whole room thing. Seeing someone else there… Uh, it was harder than I expected.” Her brows dipped into a sad frown. “You’d think I’d be less sentimental by now.” She let out a wry laugh, and her eyes skirted from Clementine to the ball under her foot.

Clementine offered her a small smile. “Don’t sweat it. I’m glad we got to know each other.”

Violet’s cheeks held a rosy glow. “Uh, yeah. I guess I am, too.” A warm smile spread across her face, and she looked over—a gentle twinkle in her eyes.

“Heads up, guys,” Brody shouted, as a ball from her direction rolled over to them, “that ball’s mine. Sorry!”

Violet stopped the ball with her foot, and her brows bumped together in a scowl. “Uh, yeah, okay!” She kicked the ball back to Brody, who thanked her, before she dribbled away with it. “God. Sometimes she gets on my last nerve, you know?”

Clementine watched her with a frown. “Yeah, I can tell.”

“I mean,” Violet said, pausing as she struggled to form the words, “it’s-it’s not like I hate her… I just...” She rolled her eyes as she spoke in a nasal voice, “‘I wish we could all go on a road trip together…’ God, she’s so… ugh. You know?”

Clementine sucked in a breath. Here goes nothing. “She definitely thinks you hate her.”

Frustration crinkled her eyes as she couldn’t come up with anything to say, and she shook her fist. They reached the front of the line once again, and with gritted teeth, Violet contacted the ball with an audible “whack.” It rocketed towards the net, and she scored.

Clementine pursed her lips and frowned. She decided to drop the topic, to prevent Violet from flaring up any further. Class was over in a flash, and their P.E. teacher gathered them round for debrief before dismissing them.

Once she dropped the soccer ball back into the cage, Violet said, “I don’t know what the problem is between us. With Brody… I don’t know why it’s like this.” She shook her head. “Why is it so weird? I can never relax around her—it just keeps getting worse.”

Clementine tilted her head to the side. “Maybe because she never said sorry. About Minnie and not being able to protect her from that… group’s manipulation soon enough.”

Violet puckered her forehead. “She tell you that?”

“More or less.” She turned to the side, and put her hands on her hips. “She wants to talk about it, you know.”

“I just… I feel guilty about the whole thing.”

She looked up at the taller girl. “Why?”

“Brody already filled you in on the whole bad company part right?”

Clementine nodded.

Unable to meet her eyes, Violet looked away. “When I noticed how cold she’d been lately, I tried to talk to her. But she would just flare up at me, so I never pushed her. It got so bad that she spent most of her time with them—these kids from school—and I only saw her occasionally. And when I did, the person she became, that wasn’t Minnie, not really. The way she sounded, and acted… the way she talked about her new ‘friends’...”

She frowned. “Those were her people, and we—Brody, Sophie and I, were not.” She looked up to meet Clementine’s eyes with a sad gaze. “Minnie—the real Minnie—she was gone. She was gone, and I had to let go.”

She shook her head with a clenched jaw. “If I’d asked more questions about what was bothering her, none of this would’ve happened.”

Furrowing her eyebrows, Clementine listened intently with a steady gaze.

“I… I wanted to talk to Brody, to tell her that I didn’t blame her for what happened. But every time I tried, I was reminded of how I didn’t do enough to help her.” Violet drooped her head. “It was easier to just not talk about it.”

She looked up to see Brody strolling towards them from across the gym. "We should get going."

As they gathered their things, Brody caught up to them. "Hey, you guys ready to head back?”

Clementine nodded. “Yeah. Is Marlon okay? I saw him join you and Louis for class.”

“He’s fine, but his ego is a little hurt. Louis is never going to live that down.”

Clementine chuckled, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Violet cracking a small smile. The three of them turned and began to make their way back to the locker room. As they were walking, Violet spoke.

“The Grand Canyon.”

Brody raised an eyebrow at her. “What?”

“That’s where I’d go. If we took a road trip, start driving until we hit the Grand Canyon.”

Brody relaxed her pursed lip into a content smile. “Yeah. That would be cool.” She fell into step with Clementine as Violet paced ahead, and gave her a grateful smile. “Thanks.”

She smiled back. Mission accomplished.

Violet glanced over her shoulder. “Hey, you slowpokes coming?”

“Yeah,” Brody said, exchanging serene smiles with Clementine, “we’re right behind you.”


End file.
